Rev. Jesse Jackson’s trial looming

Attorneys for those arrested during a Sensata plant protest and the City of Freeport spoke via conference call with Judge Jack Joyce on Wednesday to begin ironing out details for an upcoming trial date.

Attorneys for those arrested during a Sensata plant protest and the City of Freeport spoke via conference call with Judge Jack Joyce on Wednesday to begin ironing out details for an upcoming trial date.

“We’re looking at trial dates,” said City Attorney John Mitchell. “The conference that we held with the opposing counsel was to discuss three or four dates that are open over the next few months.”

Lawyers are working towards a trial because the 11 protesters facing criminal trespassing charges lobbied for a trial by jury rather than agreeing to pay any fines during their initial court date at the Stephenson County Courthouse on Nov. 28.

They were arrested during an incident at the Sensata Technologies plant on Oct. 24 after violating a city ordinance. There were 14 protesters arrested in total, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, but three were plant employees and had their charges dropped.

“It’s not a situation about what’s right and wrong in the world, the issue was if there is a trespass violation,” Mitchell said. “The issues are fairly simple.”

The protests were part of a summer long enterprise led by workers of the now defunct Sensata plant in an attempt to stop the outsourcing of their jobs. Sensata develops, manufactures and sells sensors and controls for car companies.

“We are coming back to the judge in three weeks with ideas,” Mitchell said. “We may end up setting the date at that time.”

Mitchell said that the meeting is scheduled to take place on Jan. 23 at 3 p.m. It is uncertain if a date for trial will definitely be picked at that time. Mitchell expects the trial to be short, citing that he has been a part of 5-6 trials for ordinance violations, with the last taking only two hours from beginning to end.

“If everyone wants to chime in it might take more time,” Mitchell said.

It is anticipated that the trial will take place in March, May or July.

“We’ll see, one never knows what will happen in the courtroom,” Mitchell said.

Calls requesting comment from lawyers representing the defendants went unreturned as of press time.